Sometimes Affirming Feels Like a “Reach”

We affirm people for their sake. It is good to affirm people because people who are regularly affirmed can become better people.

Sometimes you have to look really hard for something to affirm. When you have to look really hard, it almost feels “cheap” to then offer that affirmation. But it’s not.

Affirmation is never cheap. It is a gift.

We may not feel like giving some people a gift. They may not deserve it. It’s true, some people cause so much harm that even I, as a pastor, would ask God to forgive any lack of forgiveness on your part.

Yet, at the same time, affirmations open people up to change that they might not otherwise have been able to consider. People who are affirmed may become “better” people, so to speak. They may not cause harm in the same ways as they did in the past as a result of their change.

Perhaps it’s someone else’s job to offer affirmation to a person who has caused you harm. I simply can’t say. I have no idea what the right thing to do is.

Whatever the case may be, it’s worth wrestling with.

Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say.

Ephesians 4:29